Systems and methods for designing and powering wireless communication mesh network nodes

ABSTRACT

Disclosed herein are systems and methods related to wireless communication mesh network design, installation, and deployment. In one aspect, a wireless communication node may be located at a building to include one or more antenna mounts, one or more wireless communication radios mounted on the one or more antenna mounts, and a portable power supply coupled to each of the one or more wireless communication radios via a respective cable, where the portable power supply is configured to provide power to each of the one or more wireless communication radios. In another aspect, a wireless communication node located at a building may include a coaxial interface coupled to a power supply installed at the building via a pre-existing cable for a satellite dish, where the coaxial interface may receive power from the power supply via the pre-existing cable and supply the received power to one or more wireless communication radios

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of and claims priority to U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 16/931,742, filed Jul. 17, 2020, and entitled“SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR DESIGNING AND POWERING WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONMESH NETWORK NODES,” which claims priority to (i) U.S. Provisional App.No. 62/875,391, filed Jul. 17, 2019, and entitled “METHODS FOR PROVIDINGPOWER TO WIRELESS MESH NETWORK RADIOS,” and (ii) U.S. Provisional App.No. 62/879,295, filed Jul. 26, 2019, and entitled “METHODS FOR PROVIDINGPOWER TO WIRELESS MESH NETWORK NODES,” each of which is incorporatedherein by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

Wired and wireless networking and communications systems are widelydeployed to provide various types of communication and functionalfeatures, including but not limited to those for high-speed homeinternet, security and automation, and/or others. These systems may becapable of supporting communications with a user via a communicationconnection or a system management action.

Current wireless communication mesh network rollout approaches for fixedwireless access, especially for networks that have a very shortpoint-to-point (“ptp”) and/or point-to-multipoint (“ptmp”) millimeterwave link length (e.g., 50-300 meters), involve fiber Point of Presence(“PoP”) site/node development, and seed home site development that mayinvolve establishing multiple long ptp/ptmp links from a fiber PoP siteto a seed homes site. In turn, a line-of-sight (“LOS”) analysis isconducted from seed homes for the potential anchor homes (e.g.,high-speed internet fixed wireless customers) to identify potentialcustomers, and marketing (including door-to-door sales for a small area)is conducted to build a ring or multiple rings of anchor homes for awireless communication mesh network. Once, sales and/or installation ofanchor homes that form a partial ring, a complete ring, or multiplerings is completed, next round of sales is commenced to target potentialcustomers (LOS availability to the existing nodes) to extend thewireless communication mesh network (e.g., by adding additional anchorhomes or rings to the newly-created portion of the wirelesscommunication mesh network).

However, this current wireless communication mesh network rolloutapproach exhibits many shortcomings. As one example, this currentrollout approach slows down the efficiency in designing and deploying awireless communication mesh network, especially a wireless communicationmesh network that is spread over a large geographical area (e.g., 10-20sq. miles), because of the inherently sequential nature of theintermediary steps in marketing using door-to-door (direct-to-home)sales that is done at a mesh ring or cluster level rather than over alarge portion of the intended coverage area of the wirelesscommunication mesh network.

Thus, there exists a need in the art for improved systems and methodsrelating to wireless communication mesh network design and operation tomake the rollout of a wireless communication mesh network moreefficient.

Current wireless communication mesh network design approaches exhibitmany shortcomings as well. For instance, due to the relatively shortlength of a wireless communication link of a wireless communication meshnetwork that operates in the millimeter wave (“mmWave”) spectrum, alarge number of hops of ptp or point-to-multipoint ptmp communicationlinks are required to connect end users (e.g., customers) to the corenetwork or data center. This results in a requirement of a large numberof wireless communication mesh network nodes to cover a medium to largesize coverage area. Each wireless communication mesh network nodehosting a single or multiple ptp/ptmp mmWave communication equipmentrequires uninterrupted supply of power for operations. Almost everywireless communication mesh network node not only carries data of an enduser (e.g., customer at the node location) but also carries data ofother wireless communication mesh network nodes. Hence, interruption inpower supply to one wireless communication mesh network node can impactmultiple wireless communication mesh network nodes. Current wirelesscommunication mesh network design approaches, however, rely on backuppower supply units and cables run from radios to the power supply unitsof every key communication mesh network node of the wirelesscommunication mesh network, which requires extensive installation timeand labor.

Thus, there exists a need in the art for improved systems and methodsrelating to wireless communication mesh network design and operationusing a flexible approach to power wireless communication mesh networksthat will result in swift rollout of the wireless communication meshnetworks by reducing installation time and cost.

Overview

Disclosed herein are systems and methods that relate to wirelesscommunication mesh network design, installation, and deployment. In oneaspect, the disclosed systems and methods may involve a pre-marketingphase that includes various sub-phases, such as social media/onlinemarketing, radio/television-based marketing, and mailer-based marketing,that can generate leads for potential customers (and/or theircorresponding customer locations) that expressed interest in subscribingto an internet service based on a wireless communication mesh network.Based on these leads, an area of interest (“AOI”) is identified that isused for subsequent door-to-door marketing and sales. A door-to-doormarketing/sales agent then uploads information about potential customerswho signed an agreement to a computing system (e.g., a server or shareddrive) or accesses a software application (e.g., a mobile application)to provide real-time information about potential customers (e.g., meshnetwork information associated with a given potential customer) to anetwork-planning engine. The software application may also receiveinformation about potential customers from the pre-marketing phase andsend the information to the network-planning engine.

Based on various criteria defined herein, the network-planning enginemay then disqualify some potential customers (and/or their correspondingcustomer locations) and select the remaining potential customers (and/ortheir corresponding customer locations) for wireless communication meshnetwork installation/development. In some instances, through a feedbackloop, the network-planning engine may convert a potential customer(and/or its respective location) from a disqualified status to aselected status or from a selected status to a disqualified status.Further, in some instances, the network-planning engine may also selectamong those potential customers (and/or their corresponding customerlocations) that are not selected for wireless communication mesh networkconstruction for a different tier of service that is built at a laterphase. The different tier of service may include different technology,service-level agreement and/or equipment pricing.

In some instances, the network-planning engine may also interact withthe door-to-door marketing phase when there is a need to find additionalcustomers (and/or their corresponding customer locations) and add sitesat their locations to build a complete wireless communication meshnetwork. The network-planning engine may also interact with a networkinstallation/deployment phase that may involve a scheduling engine andan optimization engine that are both capable of performing variousfunctions. For instance, based on a list of customer locations and thewireless communication mesh network layout, the scheduling engine (withthe help of the optimization engine) may facilitate planning (e.g., onan hourly, daily, and/or weekly basis) the respective schedules ofvarious installation teams working on different phases of the wirelesscommunication mesh network installation/deployment, including electricalinstallation, line run, antenna mounting, ptp/ptmp node installation,alignment, provisioning, and/or customer service activation at a clusterlevel, among other examples.

One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that some of theforegoing phases can be omitted or can interact with various otherphases in various ways or can take place in a different order.

In another aspect, the disclosed systems and methods may involveidentifying an AOI that is selected based on multiple factors that aredescribed in more detail below. Based on the identified AOI, apre-marketing phase that includes various sub-phases, such as socialmedia/online marketing, radio/television-based marketing andmailer-based marketing, is executed to generate leads for potentialcustomers (and/or their corresponding customer locations) that expressedinterest in subscribing to an internet service based on a wirelesscommunication mesh network. The disclosed process may then transition toa door-to-door marketing phase as described above.

Based on various criteria defined herein, a network-planning engine maythen disqualify some potential customers (and/or their correspondingcustomer locations) and select the remaining potential customers (and/ortheir corresponding customer locations) for wireless communication meshnetwork installation/development. In some instances, through a feedbackloop, the network-planning engine may convert a potential customerlocation from a disqualified status to a selected status and vice versa.Further, in some instances, the network-planning engine may also selectamong those potential customers (and/or their corresponding customerlocations) that are not selected for wireless communication mesh networkconstruction for a different tier of service that is built at a laterphase. The different tier of service may include different technology,service-level agreement and/or equipment pricing.

In some instances, the network-planning engine may also interact withthe door-to-door marketing phase when there is a need to find additionalcustomers (and/or their corresponding customer locations) and add sitesat their locations to build a complete wireless communication meshnetwork. The network-planning engine may also interact with a networkinstallation/deployment phase that may involve a scheduling engine andan optimization engine that are both capable of performing variousfunctions. For instance, based on a list of customer locations and thewireless communication mesh network layout, the scheduling engine (withthe help of the optimization engine) may facilitate planning (e.g., onan hourly, daily, and/or weekly basis) the respective schedules ofvarious installation teams working on different phases of the wirelesscommunication mesh network installation/deployment, including electricalinstallation, line run, antenna mounting, ptp/ptmp node installation,alignment, provisioning, and/or customer service activation at a clusterlevel, among other examples.

One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that some of theforegoing phases can be omitted or can interact with various otherphases in various ways or can take place in a different order.

In yet another aspect, the disclosed systems and methods may involvefacilitating the design, construction, and/or operation of a wirelesscommunication mesh network. For instance, the present systems andmethods may involve facilitating the design and/or construction ofwireless communication mesh network nodes that may have the capabilityto establish ptp extremely-narrow-beam communication links, ptpsteerable extremely-narrow-beam communication links, ptmp narrow beamcommunication links, ultra-wide-band ptp communication links, and/or acombination of ptp and ptmp communication links, among other things.Generally speaking, construction of a wireless communication meshnetwork node may involve various phases.

As one example, the construction of a wireless communication meshnetwork node may involve a phase for performing a site survey of abuilding (which may be a wireless mesh network node) to validate theline-of-sight connectivity between the building and a neighboringbuilding (which may also be a wireless mesh network node) to ensure thebi-directional communication links that form part of a wireless meshcommunication network can be established. In some instances, the sitesurvey may involve validation of a certain minimum signal threshold forline-of-sight connectivity between the building and a neighboringbuilding instead of validation based on strict line-of-sightconnectivity.

As another example, the construction of a wireless communication meshnetwork node may involve a phase for outdoor installation of wirelesscommunication mesh network radios (e.g., ptp and/or ptmp radios). In oneembodiment, outdoor installation of the wireless mesh network radios maytake place on the roof of a building (e.g., a home) using one or moreantenna mounts. It should be understood, however, that installation ofthe wireless mesh network radios may take place at a different outdoorlocation other than a building as well.

As yet another example, construction of a wireless communication meshnetwork node may involve a phase for running one or more cables from agiven wireless communication mesh network radio to a power supply box,which may provide power to the given wireless mesh network radio andcarry data between a customer's router and the data center of thewireless communication mesh network. Construction of a wirelesscommunication mesh network node may also involve installing the powersupply box and/or aligning wireless communication mesh network radios toestablish line-of-sight communication links with neighboring wirelesscommunication mesh network node radios.

In some instances where a building has an existing satellite dish (thatmay or may not be operational), existing coaxial cables can be used(instead of running a new electric cable) to power wireless mesh networkradios if the radios are designed to have a coaxial interface for power.In instances where a radio does not have a coaxial interface to powerthe radio, an adaptor may be used to covert a power interface of theradio to a coaxial interface. In this respect, the use of an existingsatellite dish may save installation time for a wireless communicationmesh network node and may in result in operating expense (“OPEX”)savings for a wireless communication mesh network operator.

As a further example, construction of a wireless communication meshnetwork node may involve a phase for installation of a customer's routerand activation of a network service. In practice, such installation maytake place indoors, such as the customer's home. It should beunderstood, however, that such installation may take place somewhereother than a customer's home as well.

Further, it should be understood that construction of a wirelesscommunication mesh network node may take various other forms and thephases for such construction may take various other forms as well. Forinstance, construction of a wireless communication mesh network node mayinvolve more or less phases than the example phases described above, andeach phase may involve one or more intermediary steps.

In practice, a wireless communication mesh network node may be dependenton neighboring wireless communication mesh network nodes to carry itsend user (e.g., customer) data from a customer's router to a data centerof a wireless communication mesh network. In this respect, wirelesscommunication mesh network nodes may not only carry their own respectiveend user's data but may also help transfer data from other wireless meshnetwork nodes that belong to other end users of the wirelesscommunication mesh network. Thus, it may not be possible to buildwireless communication mesh network nodes in isolation and theirend-to-end provisioning and testing may depend on the provisioning,testing, and/or powering of wireless communication mesh network radiosfrom other wireless mesh network nodes (e.g., neighboring wirelesscommunication mesh network nodes).

Further, in practice, the electrical work required to provide power to agiven wireless communication mesh network node radio (e.g., running oneor more cables from a given wireless communication mesh network radio toa power supply box) may involve a significant amount of installationtime. For instance, when electrical work to provide power to a givenwireless communication mesh network node radio is required to beperformed outside of a building, such electrical work may involveinstallation of a power supply box and running electrical and datacables from the power supply box to the roof of the building where thegiven wireless communication mesh network radio is planned to beinstalled. In instances where the electrical work to provide power to agiven wireless communication mesh network node radio is required to beperformed inside of a building, such electrical work may involveadditional steps that require scheduling and coordination with acustomer who owns or resides in the building.

Further yet, in practice, the successful completion of constructing awireless communication mesh network node may depend on the completion ofsuch electrical work required to provide power to a given wirelesscommunication mesh network node radio, which may in turn facilitateestablishing bi-directional communication links with other neighboringwireless communication mesh network nodes and collectively form awireless communication mesh network. However, in some instances, evenafter such electrical work is completed, a given wireless communicationmesh network radio may still not be able to establish line-of-sightcommunications with a wireless communication mesh network radio from aneighboring wireless communication mesh network node or a building owneror customer may decide not to be part of the wireless communication meshnetwork. In such instances, while wireless communication mesh networkradios and antenna masts can be removed and can be reused to build adifferent wireless mesh network node, the electrical work completed toprovide power to a given wireless mesh network radio (e.g., cable and/orpower supply box installation) cannot be reused and may result in lossof capital expenditures for a wireless communication mesh networkoperator.

To address one or more problems involving the construction of a wirelesscommunication mesh network node, in one aspect, disclosed herein is aportable modular unit that can be easily installed on a building, wherethe portable modular unit comprises a portable power supply that can beused to efficiently provide power to a given wireless communication meshnetwork node radio that may be installed on the roof of a building (orsome other the outdoor location). The portable power supply may takevarious forms.

For example, the portable power supply may include a solar panel. Itshould be understood, however, that the portable power supply may takevarious other forms, such as a power supply that includes a backupbattery. In this respect, the portable power supply may be capable ofproviding power to one or more radios for multiple days, weeks, orperpetually provide power (e.g., using solar panels).

Further, in some embodiments, the portable modular unit may also includeantenna mounts, wireless communication mesh network radios, among otherequipment needed to efficiently construct a wireless communication meshnetwork node. Generally speaking, this portable modular unit mayinitially provide power to wireless communication mesh network radios,and enable a wireless mesh network installer to quickly configure thewireless mesh network radios and activate the wireless communicationmesh network node without requiring the installer to perform anyelectrical work (e.g., cable and/or power supply box installation). Atlater time, such as when a particular section of the wirelesscommunication mesh network is completed (e.g., by powering multiplewireless communication network nodes in a particular section), thewireless communication mesh network installer may easily remove aportable power supply from a portable modular unit at a given wirelesscommunication network node and replace it with an electrical cable runfrom a power supply box to draw power from the main power line of abuilding. Other components of a portable modular unit (e.g., radios) mayalso be easily removed from the portable modular unit and installedusing roof mounts.

Accordingly, in one aspect, disclosed herein is a wireless communicationnode of a wireless communication mesh network located at a building,where the wireless communication node includes (1) one or more antennamounts, (2) one or more wireless communication radios mounted on the oneor more antenna mounts, and (3) a portable power supply coupled to eachof the one or more wireless communication radios via a respective cable,where the portable power supply is configured to provide power to eachof the one or more wireless communication radios.

In another aspect, disclosed herein is a wireless communication node ofa wireless communication mesh network located at a building, where thewireless communication node includes (1) one or more antenna mounts, (2)one or more wireless communication radios mounted on the one or moreantenna mounts, and (3) a coaxial interface that is coupled to a powersupply installed at the building via a pre-existing cable for asatellite dish, where the coaxial interface is configured to receivepower from the power supply via the pre-existing cable and supply thereceived power to the one or more wireless communication radios.

One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate these as well asnumerous other aspects in reading the following disclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A further understanding of the nature and advantages the presentdisclosure may be realized by reference to the following drawings.

FIG. 1A depicts an example flow diagram for designing and deploying awireless communication mesh network, in accordance with various aspectsof this disclosure;

FIG. 1B depicts another example flow diagram for designing and deployinga wireless communication mesh network, in accordance with variousaspects of this disclosure;

FIG. 2A depicts an example pre-marketing phase, in accordance withvarious aspects of this disclosure;

FIG. 2B depicts another example pre-marketing phase, in accordance withvarious aspects of this disclosure;

FIG. 3A depicts another example flow diagram for designing and deployinga wireless communication mesh network, in accordance with variousaspects of this disclosure;

FIG. 3B depicts yet another example flow diagram for designing anddeploying a wireless communication mesh network, in accordance withvarious aspects of this disclosure;

FIG. 4 depicts yet another example flow diagram for designing anddeploying a wireless communication mesh network, in accordance withvarious aspects of this disclosure;

FIG. 5 depicts an example network installation/deployment phase, inaccordance with various aspects of this disclosure;

FIG. 6 depicts another example network installation/deployment phase, inaccordance with various aspects of this disclosure;

FIG. 7A depicts an example summary level flow diagram for designing anddeploying a wireless communication mesh network, in accordance withvarious aspects of this disclosure;

FIG. 7B depicts another example summary level flow diagram for designingand deploying a wireless communication mesh network, in accordance withvarious aspects of this disclosure;

FIG. 8 depicts another example flow diagram for designing and deployinga wireless communication mesh network, in accordance with variousaspects of this disclosure;

FIG. 9 depicts an example coverage area of a wireless communication meshnetwork as customers are added or removed, in accordance with variousaspects of this disclosure; and

FIG. 10 depicts an example private infrastructure in which wirelesscommunication mesh network equipment may be installed, in accordancewith various aspects of this disclosure.

FIG. 11 depicts an example diagram of a wireless communication meshnetwork, in accordance with the present disclosure;

FIG. 12 depicts an example design of a wireless communication meshnetwork node that includes a power supply box, in accordance with thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 13 depicts another example design of wireless communication meshnetwork node, in accordance with the present disclosure;

FIG. 14 depicts yet another example design of wireless communicationmesh network node, in accordance with the present disclosure;

FIG. 15 depicts an example flow diagram for constructing a wirelesscommunication mesh network node, in accordance with the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 16 depicts another example flow diagram for constructing a wirelesscommunication mesh network node, in accordance with the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 17 depicts an example portable modular unit, in accordance with thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 18 depicts an example flow diagram for constructing a wirelesscommunication mesh network node using a portable modular unit, inaccordance with the present disclosure; and

FIG. 19 depicts another example diagram of a wireless communication meshnetwork node, in accordance with the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In accordance with the present disclosure, disclosed herein are systemsand methods that relate to wireless communication mesh network designand operation. In one aspect, the present systems and methods mayinvolve various phases to construct a wireless communication meshnetwork, such as a pre-marketing phase, a door-to-door marketing phase,a planning phase, and a network installation/deployment phase, amongother phases described in more detail herein.

For instance, FIG. 1A depicts an example flow diagram for designing anddeploying a wireless communication mesh network that may comprisepoint-to-point (“ptp”) and/or point-to-multipoint (“ptmp”) links. Asshown in FIG. 1A, the example process may involve pre-marketing phase101, which may involve generating leads for potential customers.Pre-marketing phase 101 may involve various marketing techniques,including but not limited to marketing techniques that do not require asalesperson to physically visit a potential customer's home formarketing.

As further shown in FIG. 1A, pre-marketing phase 101 may be followed byan area of interest (“AOI”) phase 102 that may involve defining an AOI(or multiple AOIs) for designing a wireless communication mesh network.In some instances, an AOI may be defined based on leads that weregenerated during pre-marketing phase 101 (e.g., a list of potentialcustomers that expressed interest in subscribing to a wirelesscommunication mesh network service).

The example process may then transition from AOI phase 102 todoor-to-door marketing phase 103, which may involve a salespersonphysically visiting a given potential customer's home to sign-up thegiven potential customer for a wireless communication mesh networkservice. Based on the leads generated from pre-marketing phase 101 andcontracted customers in door-to-door marketing phase 103, a subset ofcustomer locations may be selected as wireless communication meshnetwork nodes for designing a wireless communication mesh network duringplanning phase 104. In turn, the network installation/deployment phase105 may involve wireless communication mesh network node installationbased on the selected customer locations at planning phase 104.

In practice, each of the foregoing phases in FIG. 1A may be implementedin whole or in part by a computing system, which may comprise a networkinterface, at least one processor, data storage, and programinstructions stored in the data storage that are executable by the atleast one processor to perform one or more of the functions describedabove. Further, one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate thatsuch a computing system may carry out one or more of the functionsdescribed above based on user input. Further yet, one of ordinary skillin the art will appreciate that the example flow diagram shown in FIG.1A may be altered to include more or less phases or can be rearranged ina different order.

Referring to FIG. 1B, another example flow diagram for designing anddeploying a wireless communication mesh network is described herein. Asshown, the example process may begin with consideration of multiplefactors 110 that may lead to the selection of an AOI at AOI phase 111.Multiple factors 110 may include the availability of designing anddeploying a wireless communication mesh network with fiber connectivityat a reasonable cost, a level of vegetation in the AOI, populationdensity, demographics, and/or average annual household income, amongother possible factors.

As further shown in FIG. 1B, after considering multiple factors 110, anAOI for designing and deploying a wireless communication mesh networkmay be selected at AOI phase 111, which is followed by pre-marketingphase 112. The example process may then transition from pre-marketingphase 112 to door-to-door marketing phase 113, which may involve asalesperson physically visiting a given potential customer's home tosign-up the given potential customer for a wireless communication meshnetwork service.

Based on the leads generated from pre-marketing phase 112 and contractedcustomers at door-to-door marketing phase 113, a subset of customerlocations may be selected as wireless communication mesh network nodesfor designing a wireless communication mesh network during planningphase 114. In turn, the network installation/deployment phase 115 mayinvolve wireless communication mesh network node installation anddeployment based on the selected customer locations at planning phase114.

In practice, each of the foregoing phases in FIG. 1B may be implementedin whole or in part by a computing system, which may comprise a networkinterface, at least one processor, data storage, and programinstructions stored in the data storage that are executable by the atleast one processor to perform one or more of the functions describedabove. Further, one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate thatsuch a computing system may carry out one or more of the functionsdescribed above based on user input. Further yet, one of ordinary skillin the art will appreciate that the example flow diagram shown in FIG.1B may be altered to include more or less phases or can be rearranged ina different order.

In general, the pre-marketing phase of the disclosed process fordesigning and deploying a wireless communication mesh network may takevarious forms and may involve various functions.

To illustrate, FIG. 2A depicts an example pre-marketing phase 200, whichis followed by a door-to-door marketing phase 205. Generally speaking,the pre-marketing phase 200 may be similar to pre-marketing phase 101 ofFIG. 1A. As shown, pre-marketing phase 200 may comprise a socialmedia/online marketing sub-phase 201, a radio/television marketingsub-phase 202, and a mailer-based marketing sub-phase 203. As alsoshown, pre-marketing phase 200 may include an AOI sub-phase 204 whereone or more AOIs are defined—although in line with the discussion above,it should be understood that an AOI phase may also be viewed as aseparate phase from pre-marketing phase 200.

Social media/online marketing sub-phase 201 may take various forms. Forinstance, social media/online marketing sub-phase 201 may involvevarious techniques, including but not limited to search engineoptimization, where mobile internet users and/or internet users atin-building locations are approached based on certain criteria. Thecriteria may include a particular region with certain populationdensity, demographics (e.g., age group, income group, etc.), and/orownership or residence in a certain type of housing, among otherexamples. In some instances, certain criteria other than the criteriadescribed above may be used or blanket social media/online marketing maybe used.

Radio/television marketing sub-phase 202 may take various forms as well.For instance, radio/television marketing sub-phase 202 may involveradio/television marketing in specific regions based on certaincriteria. The criteria may include a particular region with certainpopulation density, demographics (e.g., age group, income group, etc.),and/or ownership or residence in a certain type of housing, among otherexamples. In some instances, certain criteria other than the criteriadescribed above may be used or blanket radio/television marketing may beused.

Likewise, mailer-based marketing sub-phase 203 may take various forms.For instance, mailer-based marketing sub-phase 203 may involvemailer-based marketing in specific regions based on certain criteria.The criteria may include a particular region with certain populationdensity, demographics (e.g., age group, income group, etc.), and/orownership or residence in a certain type of housing, among otherexamples. In some instances, certain criteria other than the criteriadefined above may be used or blanket mailer-based marketing may be used.

As noted above, pre-marketing phase 200, which comprises socialmedia/online marketing sub-phase 201, radio/television marketingsub-phase 202 and mailer-based marketing sub-phase 203, may generateleads for potential customers that are interested in subscribing to awireless communication mesh network service. Based on the generatedleads, one or more AOIs may be identified at AOI sub-phase 204, andthese identified one or more AOIs may be later used during door-to-doormarketing phase 205.

In practice, each of the foregoing phases in FIG. 2A may be implementedin whole or in part by a computing system, which may comprise a networkinterface, at least one processor, data storage, and programinstructions stored in the data storage that are executable by the atleast one processor to perform one or more of the functions describedabove. Further, one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate thatsuch a computing system may carry out one or more of the functionsdescribed above based on user input. Further yet, while sub-phases 201,202 and 203 are shown to take place in parallel, it should be understoodthat a subset of these sub-phases can take place sequentially and maytake any order. Still further, it should be understood thatpre-marketing phase 200 may include more or less sub-phases shown inFIG. 2A.

Turning to FIG. 2B, another example pre-marketing phase 210 isdescribed, which is followed by a door-to-door marketing phase 216 andis preceded by AOI phase 211 where one or more AOIs are determined basedon multiple factors. As noted above, the multiple factors may includethe availability of a fiber Point of Presence (“PoP”) building at areasonable cost, line-of-sight (“LOS”) profile of the fiber PoP building(e.g., roof) to its surrounding area, population density, residentialhome density, demographics, and/or vegetation, among other examples.

Generally speaking, pre-marketing phase 210 in FIG. 2B may be similar topre-marketing phase 112 of FIG. 1B. As shown in FIG. 2B, pre-marketingphase 210 may comprise a social media/online marketing sub-phase 212,radio/television marketing sub-phase 213, and a mailer-based marketingsub-phase 214. These sub-phases may take various forms similar to socialmedia/online marketing sub-phase 201, radio/television marketingsub-phase 202, and mailer-based marketing sub-phase 203 of FIG. 2A. Inthis respect, pre-marketing phase 210 of FIG. 2B, which comprises socialmedia/online marketing sub-phase 212, radio/television marketingsub-phase 213 and mail-based marketing sub-phase 214, may generate leadsto potential customers that are interested in subscribing to a wirelesscommunication mesh network service. As further shown in FIG. 2B, leadsmay be later used during door-to-door marketing phase 216.

In practice, each of the foregoing phases in FIG. 2B may be implementedin whole or in part by a computing system, which may comprise a networkinterface, at least one processor, data storage, and programinstructions stored in the data storage that are executable by the atleast one processor to perform one or more of the functions describedabove. Further, one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate thatsuch a computing system may carry out one or more of the functionsdescribed above based on user input. Further yet, while sub-phases 212,213, and 214 are shown to take place in parallel, it should beunderstood that a subset of these sub-phases can take place sequentiallyand may take any order. Still further, it should be understood thatpre-marketing phase 210 may include more or less sub-phases.

Turning to FIG. 3A, another example flow diagram for designing anddeploying a wireless communication mesh network is described. As shown,FIG. 3A includes a pre-marketing phase 301 to generate leads forpotential customers, an AOI phase 302, and a door-to-door marketingphase 303, each of which has been described previously. As noted above,door-to-door marketing phase 303 may involve a salesperson physicallyvisit a potential customer's home for marketing and sales of wirelesscommunication mesh network services.

As further shown, FIG. 3A also includes a planning phase 304. Planningphase 304 may involve receiving information about potential customers(e.g., an up-to-date list of potential customers and/or theircorresponding customer locations/homes) that have shown interest insubscribing to a wireless-communication-mesh-network service frompre-marketing phase 301. Planning phase 304 may also involve receivingpotential customer information from door-to-door marketing phase 303.Based on various factors, a wireless communication mesh network may thenbe designed at planning phase 304 by rejecting certain potentialcustomers (and/or their corresponding customer locations/homes) amongthe received list of potential customers and selecting the remainingpotential customers (and/or their corresponding customerlocations/homes) for wireless communication mesh networkinstallation/deployment. These factors may include the list of potentialcustomers (and/or their corresponding customer locations), LOS profile(e.g., a number of surrounding homes a potential customer's home has aLOS path), vegetation profile, number of hops, length of link, targetmarket penetration rate, number of service tiers, number of technologytiers, among other possible factors.

In turn, network installation and deployment may take place at a networkinstallation/deployment phase 305, which may involve wirelesscommunication mesh network node installation and deployment based on theselected customer locations at planning phase 304 as described above.

Turning to FIG. 3B, another example flow diagram for designing anddeploying a wireless communication mesh network is described. As shown,FIG. 3B includes an AOI phase 311 that may involve determining one ormore AOIs based on multiple factors, which may include the availabilityof a fiber PoP building at a reasonable cost, LOS profile of thebuilding (e.g. roof) to its nearby surrounding area, population density,residential home density, demographics, and/or vegetation, among otherpossible factors. FIG. 3B also includes a pre-marketing phase 312 togenerate leads for potential customers, a door-to-door marketing phase313, a planning phase 314, and a network installation/deployment phase315, each of which has been described above with respect to FIG. 3A andare described in more detail below.

In practice, each of the foregoing phases in FIGS. 3A-B may beimplemented in whole or in part by a computing system, which maycomprise a network interface, at least one processor, data storage, andprogram instructions stored in the data storage that are executable bythe at least one processor to perform one or more of the functionsdescribed above. Further, one of ordinary skill in the art willappreciate that such a computing system may carry out one or more of thefunctions described above based on user input.

Turning to FIG. 4 , another example flow diagram for designing anddeploying a wireless communication mesh network is described. As shown,FIG. 4 includes various high-level phases, such as a door-to-doormarketing phase 400, a planning phase 401, a pre-marking phase 402, anda network installation/deployment phase 403. As above, in practice, eachof these phases may be implemented in whole or in part by a computingsystem, which may comprise a network interface, at least one processor,data storage, and program instructions stored in the data storage thatare executable by the at least one processor to perform one or more ofthe described functions (perhaps based on user input).

Generally speaking, door-to-door marketing phase 400 may take variousforms. For instance, as noted above, door-to-door marketing phase 400may involve a salesperson physically visiting a potential customer'shome for marketing and sales of wireless communication mesh networkservices. In some instances, door-to-door marketing and sales atdoor-to-door marketing phase 400 may be involve a salesperson physicallyvisiting potential customer homes that are in a certain AOI. In otherinstances, door-to-door marketing phase 400 may involve blanketdoor-to-door marketing. Further, in some implementations, door-to-doormarketing phase 400 may involve generating a list of potential customersthat have shown interest in subscribing to a wireless communication meshnetwork service by signing a contractual agreement for the service.

During door-to-door marketing phase 400, information about interactionswith potential customers may be collected and provided to a computingsystem that is involved in implementing planning phase 401. For example,after potential customers have signed a contractual agreement for thewireless communication mesh network service, the signed contracts may beuploaded to a data store that is included within or can otherwise beaccessed by a computing system involved in implementing planning phase401, such that information about the potential customers (e.g., customerlocation information) can be available to such a computing system.

As further shown in FIG. 4 , planning phase 401 may be carried out via areal-time-sales engine 405, a software application 406, and anetwork-planning engine 407, each of which may take the form of programinstructions that are executable by a computing system involved inimplementing planning phase 401.

Real-time-sales engine 405 may generally function to receive informationabout potential customers that are identified during door-to-doormarketing phase 400, where such information may be obtained in “realtime” (i.e., during or shortly after the interaction with the potentialcustomer takes place). In this respect, real-time-sales engine 405 mayinterface with client applications running on devices being used by thesalespersons that are interacting with the potential customers duringdoor-to-door marketing phase 400.

Further, software application 406 (e.g., a mobile application) maygenerally function to obtain information about potential customers(e.g., customer location information) that has been generated duringdoor-to-door marketing phase 400 (which may be received viareal-time-sales engine 405) as well as during pre-marking phase 402(e.g., leads) and then provide potential-customer information tonetwork-planning engine 407. In this respect, software application 406may be an integral part in gathering and maintaining information aboutpotential customers. (One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciatethat software application 406 may interact with a data store that isconfigured to store the potential-customer information).

Further yet, network-planning engine 407 may generally function toreceive potential-customer information from software application 406 andthen perform an evaluation of such potential-customer information inorder to identify and output information regarding a subset of potentialcustomers (and/or their corresponding customer locations) for wirelesscommunication mesh network installation/deployment.

For instance, network-planning engine 407 may function to reject certainpotential customers (and/or their corresponding customer locations) fromamong a list of potential customers based on one or more factors andthen select the remaining potential customers (and/or theircorresponding customer locations) for wireless communication meshnetwork installation/deployment. These factors may include the list ofpotential customers (and/or their corresponding customer locations), LOSprofile (e.g., a number of surrounding homes a potential customer's homehas a LOS path), vegetation profile, number of hops, length of link,target market penetration rate, number of service tiers, number oftechnology tiers, among other possible factors.

Additionally, network-planning engine 407 may function to identify (andoutput information regarding) some potential customers (and/or theircorresponding customer locations) from among a list of potentialcustomers for a different tier of service provided through the wirelesscommunication mesh network (e.g., a lower tier internet service) basedon similar criteria described above if their homes are not suitable orideal for primary wireless communication mesh network services. In thisrespect, the potential customers that are identified for the differenttier of service may be the potential customers that are rejected basedon the one or more factors described above, or some other subset ofpotential customers. The potential customers that are identified for thedifferent tier of service by network-planning engine 407 may then beused to design a different tier for the wireless communication meshnetwork that may comprise a different wireless communication meshnetwork technology, a different Service Level Agreement (“SLA”), and/ora different pricing model.

Additionally yet, network-planning engine 407 may function to identify(and output information regarding) specific areas where customers areneeded to complete and/or expand the wireless communication meshnetwork. These areas may include potential customers that were notidentified during pre-marketing phase 402 or door-to-door marketingphase 400. The identification of the specific areas where customers areneeded to complete and/or expand the wireless communication mesh networkmay then trigger a fresh round of door-to-door marketing focusing oncustomers in the identified area.

Network-planning engine 407 may take various other forms and may carryout various other functions as well.

After network-planning engine 407 outputs information about potentialcustomers (and/or their corresponding customer locations) that have beenidentified for wireless communication mesh networkinstallation/deployment, network installation and deployment may takeplace at network installation/deployment phase 406. Networkinstallation/deployment phase 406 may take various forms.

To illustrate, FIG. 5 depicts an example network installation/deploymentphase 500. As shown, a wireless communication mesh network site (e.g., atall building) that has fiber connectivity and ultimately connects awireless communication mesh network to a CORE network and/or data centermay be constructed at connectivity phase 501 that precedes networkinstallation/deployment phase 500. In turn, network installation anddeployment of wireless communication mesh network nodes may then takeplace at network installation/deployment phase 500, which may involveinstalling wireless communication mesh network equipment on a rooftop ofa customer's home.

As further shown in FIG. 5 , network installation/deployment phase 500may comprise various sub-phases. For instance, networkinstallation/deployment phase 500 may comprise an electricalinstallation sub-phase 502, which may involve installing a power box onthe side of a customer's home along an exterior wall (or any otherappropriate location) to provide power to telecommunication equipment ofthe wireless communication mesh network. Additionally, networkinstallation/deployment phase 500 may comprise aline-run-and-antenna-mast installation sub-phase 503 that may involveinstallation of a line run and mast along with actual mounting ofptp/ptmp equipment. Additionally yet, network installation/deploymentphase 500 may comprise an alignment-and-provisioning sub-phase 504 thatmay involve (1) aligning antennas of wireless communication mesh networkequipment to ensure LOS connectivity between a node of one customer homewith the node of another nearby customer home and establish a LOS-basedptp or ptmp link, and (2) configuring network settings of the ptp orptmp nodes to ensure end-to-end connectivity from a customer home to aCORE network or data center.

It should be noted that, in some instances, sub-phases 502 to 504 ofFIG. 5 may not involve any installation inside a customer's home andinstallation may be performed without the need for customers to bepresent at their homes.

As further shown in FIG. 5 , network installation/deployment phase 500may also comprise a cluster-service-activation sub-phase 505 that mayinvolve installing routers inside customer homes to connect a wirelesscommunication mesh network node installed at a customer home's roof-topto network devices of the customer and provide internet connectivity.Generally speaking, cluster-service-activation sub-phase 505 maytypically require customers to be present in their homes, unlikesub-phases 502-504. Installation at cluster-service-activation sub-phase505 may be performed after building and testing a complete ring (orseveral rings) forming a cluster of nodes for the wireless communicationmesh network.

While FIG. 5 shows sub-phases 502-505 of network installation/deploymentphase 500 taking place in a sequential manner, it should be understoodthat in other embodiments, some or all of these subphases may take placein parallel.

Referring to FIG. 6 , another example network installation/developmentphase 600 for a wireless communication mesh network is shown. In FIG. 6, network installation/development phase 600 includes a schedulingengine 602, which may take the form of program instructions that areexecutable by a computing system involved in implementing networkinstallation/deployment phase 600.

Scheduling engine 602 may generally function to receive a task from aplanning phase 601, which may take a similar form to the planning phasesthat have been described above. For instance, planning phase 601 mayprovide scheduling engine 602 with a list of potential customers (and/ortheir corresponding customer locations) and may also provide wirelesscommunication mesh network design information that defines how ptp/ptmpnodes should be connected between the customer locations (for antennaalignment and selection of a region on a roof of a customer home forantenna mounting). Based on such information, scheduling engine 602 mayschedule different network installation teams for various sub-phases ofnetwork installation/deployment phase 600, which may include anelectric-installation sub-phase 604, a line-run-and-mast installationsub-phase 605, an alignment-and-provisioning subphase 607, and acluster-service-activation subphase 608, where each of these sub-phasesmay take similar forms to the respective sub-phases described above withrespect to FIG. 5 .

As further shown, in some embodiments, scheduling engine 602 mayinteract with an optimization engine 603, which may likewise take theform of program instructions that are executable by a computing systeminvolved in implementing network installation/deployment phase 600.Optimization engine 603 may generally function to optimize thescheduling of subphases 604-608. For instance, in one implementation,optimization engine 603 may apply an artificial intelligence-basedtechnique (e.g., simulated annealing) to devise a daily/weekly plan fornetwork installation teams that optimizes the route between wirelesscommunication mesh network customer locations. Further, in someinstances, based on real-time feedback information from sub-phases604-608 (which could be provided to optimization engine 603 viascheduling engine 602), optimization engine 603 may instruct schedulingengine 602 to change the scheduling of sub-phases 604-608 to optimizethe installation process.

Referring to FIG. 7A, an example summary-level flow diagram fordesigning and deploying a wireless communication mesh network is shownto include various phases that have been described above. As above, inpractice, each of these phases may be implemented in whole or in part bya computing system, which may comprise a network interface, at least oneprocessor, data storage, and program instructions stored in the datastorage that are executable by the at least one processor to perform oneor more of the described functions (perhaps based on user input).

As shown, FIG. 7A comprises a pre-marketing phase 700 that may includesub-phases for social media/online marketing, radio/television-basedmarketing, and mailer-based marketing, and may involve generating leadsfor potential customers that have expressed interest in subscribing to awireless communication mesh network service. Based on the generatedleads, one or more AOIs may then be identified at an AOI sub-phase ofpre-marketing phase 700, which may in turn be used at a door-to-doormarketing phase 701.

During door-to-door marketing phase 701, information about interactionswith potential customers may be collected and provided to a computingsystem that is involved in implementing planning phase 702. Forinstance, during door-to-door marketing phase 701, a door-to-doorsalesperson may upload information about potential customers who havesigned a contractual agreement for the wireless communication meshnetwork service to a data store that is included within or can otherwisebe accessed by a computing system involved in implementing planningphase 702, such that information about the potential customers (e.g.,customer location information) can be available to such a computingsystem. In turn, during planning phase 702, a software application(e.g., a mobile application) may function to (i) obtain informationabout potential customers that has been generated during door-to-doormarketing phase 701 (e.g., information that has been received inreal-time) and/or information about potential customers that has beengenerated during pre-marketing phase 700 and (ii) send such informationto a network-planning engine of planning phase 702.

Based on various criteria described above, the network-planning engineof planning phase 702 may then output various information. For example,the network-planning engine may disqualify some potential customers(and/or their corresponding customer locations), select the remainingcustomers (and/or their corresponding customer locations) for wirelesscommunication mesh network installation/deployment, and then outputinformation about the selected customers. Through a feedback loop, thenetwork-planning engine may also convert a potential customer from adisqualified status to a selected status or vice versa.

As another example, the network-planning engine may select somepotential customer locations (e.g., homes) among those potentialcustomer locations that were not selected for wireless communicationmesh network construction for a different tier of service that may bebuilt at a later phase, and then output information about thesepotential customer locations. As noted above, the different tier ofservice may comprise different technology, SLA, and/or equipmentpricing.

As yet another example, the network-planning engine may identify (andoutput information about) potential customer locations that may be usedas wireless communication mesh network sites to complete and/or expandthe wireless communication mesh network and then interact withdoor-to-door marketing phase 701 if there is a need to complete and/orexpand the wireless communication mesh network.

As further shown in FIG. 7A, based on the list of customer locations andmesh network layout, the network-planning engine of planning phase 702may also interact with a network installation/deployment phase 703 thatincludes a scheduling engine and an optimization engine to facilitateplanning (e.g., on an hourly/daily/weekly basis) schedules of variousinstallation teams involved in various subphases of networkinstallation/deployment phase 703, including electrical installation,line run, antenna mounting, ptp/ptmp node installation, alignment andprovisioning, and cluster service activation.

One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that FIG. 7A mayinvolve more or less phases and/or sub-phases and that some of thephases and/or sub-phases may be arranged in a different manner.

Referring to FIG. 7B, another example summary-level flow diagram fordesigning and deploying a wireless communication mesh network is shownto include various phases that have been described above. As above, inpractice, each of these phases may be implemented in whole or in part bya computing system, which may comprise a network interface, at least oneprocessor, data storage, and program instructions stored in the datastorage that are executable by the at least one processor to perform oneor more of the described functions (perhaps based on user input).

As shown, the example flow diagram may begin with an AOI phase 710 thatidentifies an AOI based on multiple factors described above. Based onthe identified AOI, leads for potential customers that have expressedinterest in subscribing to a wireless communication mesh network servicemay be generated at a pre-marketing phase 711 that may include a socialmedia/online marketing sub-phase, radio/television-based marketingsub-phase, and a mailer-based marketing sub-phase.

As further shown in FIG. 7B, the generated leads may be provided to adoor-to-door marketing phase 712, which may then interact with aplanning phase 713. For instance, during door-to-door marketing phase712, a door-to-door salesperson may upload information about potentialcustomers who have signed a contractual agreement for the wirelesscommunication mesh network service to a data store that is includedwithin or can otherwise be accessed by a computing system involved inimplementing planning phase 702, such that information about thepotential customers (e.g., customer location information) can beavailable to such a computing system. In turn, during planning phase713, a software application (e.g., a mobile application) may function to(i) obtain information about potential customers that has been generatedduring door-to-door marketing phase 712 (e.g., information that has beenreceived in real-time) and/or information about potential customers thathas been generated during pre-marketing phase 711 and (ii) send suchinformation to a network-planning engine of planning phase 713.

Based on various criteria described above, the network-planning engineof planning phase 713 may then output various information. For example,the network-planning engine may disqualify some potential customers(and/or their corresponding customer locations), select the remainingcustomers (and/or their corresponding customer locations) for wirelesscommunication mesh network installation/deployment, and then outputinformation about the selected customers. Through a feedback loop, thenetwork-planning engine may also convert a potential customer from adisqualified status to a selected status or vice versa.

As another example, the network-planning engine may select somepotential customer locations among those potential customer locationsthat were not selected for wireless communication mesh networkconstruction for a different tier of service that may be built at alater phase, and then output information about these potential customerlocations. As noted above, the different tier of service may comprisedifferent technology, SLA, and/or equipment pricing.

As yet another example, the network-planning engine may identify (andoutput information about potential customer locations that may be usedas wireless communication mesh network sites to complete and/or expandthe wireless communication mesh network and then interact withdoor-to-door marketing phase 712 if there is a need to complete and/orexpand the wireless communication mesh network.

As further shown in FIG. 7B, based on the list of customer locations andmesh network layout, the network-planning engine of planning phase 713may also interact with a network installation/deployment phase 714 thatincludes a scheduling engine and an optimization engine to facilitateplanning (e.g., on an hourly/daily/weekly basis) schedules of variousinstallation teams involved in various sub-phases of networkinstallation/deployment phase 714, including electrical installation,line run, antenna mounting, ptp/ptmp node installation, alignment andprovisioning, and cluster service activation.

One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that FIG. 7B mayinvolve more or less phases and/or sub-phases and that some of thephases and/or sub-phases may be arranged in a different manner.

In accordance with the present disclosure, the disclosed process fordesigning and deploying a wireless communication mesh network may takevarious other forms.

Referring now to FIG. 8 , another example flow diagram for designing anddeploying a wireless communication mesh network is shown. As above, inpractice, each of the phases shown in FIG. 8 may be implemented in wholeor in part by a computing system, which may comprise a networkinterface, at least one processor, data storage, and programinstructions stored in the data storage that are executable by the atleast one processor to perform one or more of the described functions(perhaps based on user input).

As shown in FIG. 8 , information about an internet package, such asdetails regarding an internet service of the wireless communication meshnetwork (e.g., the uplink and downlink speed ranges, pricing, contractterm, and/or options for bundling with other services, among otherdetails), may be used for marketing at a marketing phase 801. In thisrespect, marketing phase 801 may comprise a pre-marketing phase and/or adoor-to-door marketing phase that results in a list of potentialcustomers for the wireless communication mesh network service. Thepotential customers may then be provided to a network-planning engine ofa tier-1 network planning phase 802 as shown in FIG. 8 , which may takea form similar to the network-planning engine described above withrespect to FIGS. 7A-7B.

After the network-planning engine of tier-1 network planning phase 802identifies customers and/or corresponding customer locations forconstruction of tier 1 of the wireless communication mesh network andoutputs information about the identified customers/locations,installation and deployment of tier 1 of the wireless communication meshnetwork may then take place during a tier-1 networkinstallation/deployment phase 803. As shown in FIG. 8 , solid blackcircles represent potential customer locations that were selected astier-1 wireless communication mesh network nodes during tier-1 networkplanning phase 802 and white circles represent potential customerlocations that were not selected as tier-1 wireless communication meshnetwork nodes during tier-1 network planning phase 802.

In some instances, the SLA and pricing model for these customerlocations selected as tier-1 wireless communication mesh network nodesmay be different than the advertised internet package details from theinternet package phase. For example, customer locations selected astier-1 wireless communication mesh network nodes may be offered higheruplink and downlink speeds at a lower monthly fee or no monthly fee. Insome instances, internet service fees may be waived or lowered only ifcustomer locations selected as wireless communication mesh network nodeschoose a bundled package that include other services, such as a smarthome security service or a solar energy service. In other instances, theSLA and pricing model for these customer locations selected as tier-1wireless communication mesh network nodes may remain unchanged from theadvertised internet package details from the internet package phase.

Further, during a tier-2 network planning phase 804, some of thecustomer locations selected as tier-1 wireless communication meshnetwork nodes (represented by the solid black circles) may further beselected to provide a backbone for a wireless communication mesh networkthat has the capability to provide a different tier of services (e.g.,“tier 2”) to other customer locations that were not selected as tier-1wireless communication mesh network nodes during tier-1 network planningphase 802 (represented by the white circles). In turn, additionalhardware may be added to these customer locations in order to design anddeploy such a wireless communication mesh network. As shown in FIG. 8 ,in some embodiments, the additional hardware may provide anomni-directional coverage area for the different tier of services. Inother embodiments, the additional hardware may provide a directional(e.g., 45-degree, 90-degree, 120-degree sector) coverage area for thedifferent tier of services.

Based on the coverage area, at least some of the potential customerlocations that were not selected as tier-1 wireless communication meshnetwork nodes (represented by white circles) may then be offered thedifferent tier of services (e.g., “tier 2”) by installing wirelessnetwork equipment at their corresponding customer locations that arecompatible with the wireless communication mesh network technology ofthe different tier, such as 4G LTE/LTE-Advanced, or Wi-Fi Aps. In oneembodiment, the SLA and pricing for these tier-2 customers (representedby white circles) may be the same as the internet package details fromthe internet package phase. In another embodiment, the SLA and pricingfor these customers may be different than the internet package detailsfrom the internet package phase.

In practice, these tier-2 customers may be added to the wirelesscommunication mesh network by adding wireless communication mesh networknode equipment and creating ptp/ptmp links to connect the equipment toexisting nodes of the wireless communication mesh network. Generallyspeaking, these tier-2 customers may be added to a wirelesscommunication mesh network under various circumstances as illustrated inFIG. 9 . For example, it is possible that an existing customer locationselected as a tier-1 wireless communication mesh network node mayunsubscribe from the wireless communication mesh network, which maycause the cover area for the different tier of services to change. Asanother example, it may be desirable to increase the coverage area ofthe wireless communication mesh network and/or expand the use of thetier-2 wireless communication mesh network technology by adding moretier-2 customers to the wireless communication mesh network. As yetanother example, it may be desirable to increase the number of wirelesscommunication mesh network customers. These tier-2 customers may beadded to a wireless communication mesh network under various othercircumstances as well.

In practice, for wireless communication mesh networks described above,private infrastructure, such as a single-family home rooftop may be usedfor deployment of wireless communication mesh network equipment(including antennas, antenna mounts, radios, cables, etc.) for ptp/ptmplinks and wireless/cellular communication network small cells and CPEs.In this respect, the location on the rooftop where the communicationnetwork equipment is mounted can be very important. While fieldtechnicians and installers do their best to ensure no damage to therooftop where the equipment are installed, the process of installing theequipment (e.g., drilling) may cause some possible damage to the rooftopin the longer run. In this respect, if the rooftop area selected forwireless network equipment installation is above a living area (e.g., aliving room, bedroom, attic) or any other area, the liability of anetwork operator may be greatly increased by any damage caused by theinstallation. Accordingly, choosing an area of a roof for equipmentinstallation that is not above any living space may greatly reduce theliability of a network operator that uses private infrastructure fornetwork installation/deployment.

One such area may be the roof overhangs as shown in the FIG. 10 . Asshown, all wireless communication mesh network equipment may beinstalled on roof overhangs, and thus, any potential roof damage frominstallation is unlikely to impact a living area of a privateinfrastructure, such as a single-family home, and significantly reduce awireless operator's liability.

In accordance with the present disclosure, a network-planning enginedescribed above may use various criteria described above for selectingcustomers for the wireless communication mesh network and outputtinginformation about the selected customers such that wirelesscommunication mesh network nodes can be installed/deployed at theselected customer locations. In particular, the LOS profile may be animportant criteria for designing and deploying a wireless communicationmesh network to ensure that every wireless communication mesh networknode (and the equipment on every rooftop) has a direct LOS path withother existing and future wireless communication mesh network nodes(neighbor sites), since wireless signals suffer very high level ofattenuation if encountered with vegetation and/or buildings and ptp/ptmplinks may drop due to weak signal levels.

In general, a LOS profile is dependent on the area of roof selected forLOS analysis. For example, one node can have a perfect LOS path to anexisting (or future) neighbor node equipment from the highest point ofthe roof (which is typically above a living area) and may not have a LOSpath to the same neighbor node equipment if the equipment is moved to adifferent section of the roof such as the roof overhangs as describedabove with respect to FIG. 10 . In this respect, a customer homeselected as a wireless communication mesh network node by installingequipment on top of the customer home's roof for setting up ptp/ptmplinks may later cause large liability issues for a network operator.

Thus, in one embodiment, the network-planning engine of a planning phase(which has been described above) may select customer homes that have agood LOS profile with other wireless communication mesh network nodesfrom an area of a roof that is not directly above any living area andreject potential customers that do not have a good LOS profile withother wireless communication mesh network nodes (including existing andfuture/planned nodes) from the area the roof that is not directly aboveany living area. As described above with respect to FIG. 10 , the areaof the roof that is not directly above any living area may comprise theroof overhang. In some embodiments, the area of the roof that is notdirectly above any living area may comprise a different area other thanthe roof overhang as well.

In another aspect, disclosed herein are systems and methods forconstructing a wireless communication mesh network node for a wirelesscommunication mesh network. Generally speaking, a wireless communicationmesh network may take various forms.

To illustrate, FIG. 11 depicts an example wireless communication meshnetwork 1100 that includes ptp/ptmp wireless communication links. Asshown, wireless communication mesh network 1100 has a fiber Point ofPresence (“PoP”) 1101 that represents a location with fiber orvery-high-capacity backbone communication links to a CORE network ordata center. Fiber PoP 1101 may also represent a location that is highenough to provide line-of-sight to a large surrounding area.

As further shown in FIG. 11 , fiber PoP 1101 may have two high capacitynarrow beam width nodes that are capable of establishing two ptp/ptmphigh capacity bi-directional communication links between fiber PoP 1101and seed nodes 1 and 2. All wireless communication mesh network nodesare represented by solid black squares and white squares represent homesin a neighborhood that are not selected (at least initially) as part ofwireless communication mesh network 1100. Generally speaking, each seednode 1 and 2 is a special wireless communication mesh network node thatcan host at least two types of communication equipment; one forsupporting ptp/ptmp mmWave wireless communication links (represented inthin black lines) with other wireless communication mesh network nodescalled “type A customer nodes,” and another for supporting high capacityptp/ptmp mmWave communication links (represented in triple compoundlines) with fiber PoP 1101 to provide connectivity to a CORE network.

It should be understood that while wireless communication mesh network1100 shows two seed homes (e.g., “Seed 1” and “Seed 2”) connected tofiber PoP 1101 via high capacity ptp/ptmp mmWave communication links,wireless communication mesh network 1100 may include any number of seedhomes connected to fiber PoP 1101. It should also be understood thatwireless communication mesh network 1100 may include any number of typeA customer nodes connected to wireless communication mesh network 1100via ptp/ptmp mmWave wireless communication links.

In practice, wireless communication mesh network equipment (e.g.,antennas, RF and digital circuitry, routers, switches, etc.) deployed ona wireless communication mesh network node (e.g., a type A customer nodeor seed home) may be powered using the same power source that providespower to the home hosting the wireless communication mesh network node.In some instances, there may be a backup power supply that can providepower for the wireless communication mesh network node for some time(e.g., 1-2 hours) in the event of a power outage to a home hosting thewireless communication mesh network node.

A given wireless communication mesh network node of a wirelesscommunication mesh network may take various forms. To illustrate, FIG.12 depicts an example type A customer node 1200 that may be constructedat a given customer's home (e.g., one of the homes represented in asolid black square in FIG. 11 ). The construction of type A customernode 1200 may involve various phases.

As one possibility, construction of type A customer node 1200 mayinvolve a phase for conducting a site survey. For instance, a sitesurvey may be conducted to check a line-of-sight profile between type Acustomer node 1200 and other neighboring nodes to ensure bi-directionalcommunication links that form part of the wireless mesh communicationnetwork can be established. As one particular example, a site survey maybe conducted to check a line-of-sight profile between type A customernode 1200 and a neighboring type A customer node (not shown in FIG. 12 )in a direction represented by bi-directional link 1207 and/or check aline-of sight profile between type A customer node 1200 and anotherneighboring type A customer node (not shown in FIG. 12 ) in thedirection represented by bi-directional link 1206. In some instances, asite survey may be conducted to validate a certain minimum signalthreshold for line-of-sight connectivity between type A customer node1200 and a neighboring node instead of validation based on strictline-of-sight connectivity.

As another possibility, construction of type A customer node 1200 mayinvolve a phase for outdoor installation of wireless communication meshnetwork radios 1202 and 1203. In one embodiment, outdoor installation ofwireless mesh network radios 1202 and 1203 may take place on the roof ofa home using one or more antenna mounts. It should be understood,however, that installation of wireless mesh network radios 1202 and 1203may take place at a different outdoor location other than a home aswell.

As still another possibility, construction of type A customer node 1200may involve a phase for installing power supply box 1201, which may beattached to the outside exterior wall or inside exterior wall of acustomer's home. To install power supply box 1201, the construction mayinvolve running one or more cables from wireless communication meshnetwork radio 1202 and/or 1203 to power supply box 1201 to provide powerto wireless communication mesh network radios 1202 and/or 1203 andpossibly carry data between a customer router 1208 and the data centerof the wireless communication mesh network. For instance, as shown,wireless communication mesh network radios 1202 and 1203 may beinterconnected via cable 1205, and power supply box 1201 and wirelesscommunication mesh network radios 1202 and 1203 may be interconnectedvia cable 1204 in order to provide power to wireless communication meshnetwork radios 1202 and 1203.

In practice, depending on the distance between power supply box 1201 andwireless communication mesh network radios 1202 and 1203, this phaseinvolving installing power supply box 1201 and powering wirelesscommunication mesh network radios 1202 and 1203 may represent one of themore time consuming phases for constructing a wireless communicationmesh node such as type A customer node 1200.

As yet another possibility, construction of type A customer node 1200may involve a phase for alignment and configuration of wirelesscommunication mesh network radios 1202, 1203 to establish line-of-sightcommunication links (e.g., link 1206 and/or link 1207) with neighboringwireless mesh network node radios.

As a further possibility, construction of type A customer node 1200 mayinvolve a phase for installing customer router 1208 and activatingnetwork services (e.g., high-speed Internet service).

It should be understood that the phases for constructing a wirelesscommunication mesh network node such as type A customer node 1200 maytake various other forms as well. For instance, construction of type Acustomer node 1200 may involve more or less phases than the examplephases described above, and each phase may involve one or moreintermediary steps.

Further, it should be understood that type A customer node 1200 may takevarious other forms as well. For example, type A customer node 1200 mayhave any number of ptp and/or ptmp communication links, any number ofwireless communication mesh network radios, and any number of cablesinterconnecting and powering the wireless communication mesh networkradios. As another example, while FIG. 12 is described with respect totype-A customer node 1200, other types of wireless communication meshnetwork nodes (e.g., a seed home) may be constructed in a similarfashion.

A given wireless communication mesh network node of a wirelesscommunication mesh network may take various other forms as well. Toillustrate another example, FIG. 13 depicts an example wirelesscommunication mesh network node 1300 that may be constructed at a givencustomer's home (e.g., one of the homes represented in a solid blacksquare in FIG. 11 ). The construction of wireless communication meshnetwork node 1300 may involve various phases.

As one possibility, wireless communication mesh network node 1300 mayinvolve a phase for conducting a site survey. For instance, a sitesurvey may be conducted to check a line-of-sight profile betweenwireless communication mesh network node 1300 and other neighboringnodes to ensure bi-directional communication links that form part of thewireless mesh communication network can be established. As oneparticular example, a site survey may be conducted to check aline-of-sight profile between wireless communication mesh network node1300 and a neighboring wireless communication mesh network node (notshown in FIG. 13 ) in a direction represented by bi-directional link1309 and/or check a line-of sight profile between wireless communicationmesh network node 1300 and another neighboring wireless communicationmesh network node (not shown in FIG. 13 ) in the direction representedby bi-directional link 1310. In some instances, a site survey may beconducted to validate a certain minimum signal threshold forline-of-sight connectivity between wireless communication mesh networknode 1300 and a neighboring node instead of validation based on strictline-of-sight connectivity.

As another possibility, wireless communication mesh network node 1300may involve a phase for outdoor installation of wireless communicationmesh network radios 1302 and 1303. In one embodiment, outdoorinstallation of wireless mesh network radios 1302 and 1303 may takeplace on the roof of a home using one or more antenna mounts. It shouldbe understood, however, that installation of wireless mesh networkradios 1302 and 1303 may take place at a different outdoor locationother than a home as well.

As still another possibility, construction of wireless communicationmesh network node 1300 may involve a phase for installing power supplybox 1301, which may be attached to the outside exterior wall or insideexterior wall of a customer's home. To install power supply box 1301,the construction may involve running one or more cables from wirelesscommunication mesh network radio 1302 and/or 1303 to power supply box1301 to provide power to wireless communication mesh network radios 1302and/or 1303. For instance, as shown, wireless communication mesh networkradios 1302 and 1303 may be interconnected via cable 1305, and powersupply box 1301 and wireless communication mesh network radios 1302 and1303 may be interconnected via cable 1304 in order to provide power towireless communication mesh network radios 1302 and 1303.

In some instances, as shown in FIG. 13 , wireless communication meshnetwork node 1300 may also comprise a satellite dish 1306 that iscoupled to a cable set top box 1307 via coaxial cable 1308 (or someother satellite dish compatible cable). Cable set top box 1307 mayprovide power to the low noise block down-converter (“LNB”) of satellitedish 1306 via coaxial cable 1308.

In practice, installation of wireless communication mesh network radios1302 and 1303 may take place some time after satellite dish 1306 andcable set top box 1307 have been installed. It should be understood,however, installation of wireless communication mesh network radios 1302and 1303 can take place some time before satellite dish 1306 and cableset top box 1307 have been installed as well. In this respect,installation of wireless communication mesh network radios 1302 and 1303may take place independent of the installation of satellite dish 1306and cable set top box 1307.

It should be understood that the phases for constructing a wirelesscommunication mesh network node such as wireless communication meshnetwork node 1300 may take various other forms. It should also beunderstood that wireless communication mesh network node 1300 may takevarious other forms as well.

A given wireless communication mesh network node of a wirelesscommunication mesh network may take various other forms as well. Toillustrate yet another example, FIG. 14 depicts an example wirelesscommunication mesh network node 1400 that may take the form similar towireless communication mesh network node 1300. The construction ofwireless communication mesh network node 1400 may involve various phasessimilar to the construction of wireless communication mesh network node1300. However, instead of a completely independent construction of awireless communication mesh network node, an existing cable (e.g.coaxial cable 1406) from a satellite dish (e.g., satellite dish 1405)and/or a cable set top box (or some other existing radio) is used toconnect wireless mesh network radios (e.g., wireless mesh network radios1402 and 1403) to a power supply box (e.g., power supply box 1401).

In particular, as one possibility, similar to the construction ofwireless communication mesh network node 1300, the construction ofwireless communication mesh network node 1400 may involve a phase forconducting a site survey. For instance, a site survey may be conductedto check a line-of-sight profile between wireless communication meshnetwork node 1400 and other neighboring nodes to ensure bi-directionalcommunication links that form part of the wireless mesh communicationnetwork can be established. As one particular example, a site survey maybe conducted to check a line-of-sight profile between wirelesscommunication mesh network node 1400 and a neighboring wirelesscommunication mesh network node (not shown in FIG. 14 ) in a directionrepresented by bi-directional link 1407 and/or check a line-of sightprofile between wireless communication mesh network node 1400 andanother neighboring wireless communication mesh network node (not shownin FIG. 14 ) in the direction represented by bi-directional link 1408.In some instances, a site survey may be conducted to validate a certainminimum signal threshold for line-of-sight connectivity between wirelesscommunication mesh network node 1400 and a neighboring node instead ofvalidation based on strict line-of-sight connectivity.

As another possibility, wireless communication mesh network node 1400may involve a phase for outdoor installation of wireless communicationmesh network radios 1402 and 1403. In one embodiment, outdoorinstallation of wireless mesh network radios 1402 and 1403 may takeplace on the roof of a home using one or more antenna mounts. It shouldbe understood, however, that installation of wireless mesh networkradios 1402 and 1403 may take place at a different outdoor locationother than a home as well.

As still another possibility, construction of wireless communicationmesh network node 1400 may involve a phase for installing power supplybox 1401, which may be attached to the inside exterior wall of acustomer's home. To install power supply box 1401, the construction mayinvolve running one or more cables from wireless communication meshnetwork radio 1402 and/or 1403 to power supply box 1401 to provide powerto wireless communication mesh network radios 1402 and/or 1403. Forinstance, as shown, wireless communication mesh network radio 1402 maybe interconnected via cable 1404, and power supply box 1401 and wirelesscommunication mesh network radio 1402 may be interconnected via acoaxial cable 1406 in order to provide power to wireless communicationmesh network radio 1402 and wireless communication mesh network radio1403 (which is daisy-chained to wireless communication mesh networkradio 1402 via cable 1404). In one embodiment, coaxial cable 1406 may bea pre-existing cable that was previously used to connect a cable setuptop box (e.g., cable setup top box 1307) to satellite dish 1405.

As yet another possibility, construction of wireless communication meshnetwork node 1400 may involve a phase for installing a router in thecustomer's home. For instance, a cable may be used to interconnect thecustomer's router (not shown) to power supply box 1401, which in turnmay enable coaxial cable 1406 to carry data from the customer's home. Inthis respect, coaxial cable 1406 may not only provide power to wirelesscommunication mesh network radio 1402 (and wireless communication meshnetwork radio 1403 that is daisy-chained to wireless communication meshnetwork radio 1402 via cable 1404) but also provide data connectivity toend users (e.g., customers).

It should be understood that while FIG. 14 illustrates an embodimentwhere coaxial cable 1406 is directly coupled to wireless communicationmesh network radio 1402 and indirectly coupled to wireless communicationmesh network radio 1403 (via cable 1404), in a different embodiment,coaxial cable 1406 may provide power to both wireless communication meshnetwork radios 1402 and 1403 by using a cable splitter and/or switch.The cable splitter and/or switch may also be used if coaxial 1406 isneeded to power both wireless communication mesh network radios 1402 and1403 and satellite dish 1405.

Further, it should be understood that while FIG. 14 illustrates anembodiment where wireless communication mesh network radios 1402 and1403 each comprise a coaxial interface, in a different embodiment wherewireless communication mesh network radios 1402 and 1403 do not havecoaxial interfaces, a cable adaptor may be used to convert the powerinterface of each wireless communication mesh network radio to acompatible interface needed to couple coaxial cable 1406 to wirelesscommunication mesh network radios 1402 and 1403.

The construction of wireless communication mesh network node 1400 mayinvolve various other phases and wireless communication mesh networknode 1400 may take various other forms as well. For instance, while FIG.14 shows a wireless communication mesh network node that includes onlytwo wireless communication mesh network radios and one satellite dish,wireless communication mesh network node 1400 may include any number ofradios and/or satellite dishes.

Turning to FIG. 15 , an example flow diagram for constructing a wirelesscommunication mesh network node (e.g., wireless communication meshnetwork node 1400 of FIG. 14 ) is shown. At block 1501, the constructionmay involve a radio design phase. The radio design phase may involveadding a coaxial interface to each of the wireless communication meshnetwork radios (e.g., wireless communication mesh network radios 1402and 1403) in order to power the wireless communication mesh networkradios via a coaxial cable (e.g., coaxial cable 1406) or some othercompatible cable. In some instances, an adaptor may be used to covertthe existing power interface (e.g., PoE or USB interface) of eachwireless communication mesh network radio to a coaxial interface.

At block 1502, the construction may involve a determination of whetherthe wireless communication mesh network node location (e.g., acustomer's home) includes a pre-existing satellite dish cable (e.g.,coaxial cable 1406) that may be used to power each of the wirelesscommunication mesh network radios.

If the wireless communication mesh network node location does include apre-existing satellite dish cable, at block 1503, the construction ofthe wireless communication mesh network node may involve a radioinstallation phase using the pre-existing satellite dish cable (e.g.,coaxial cable 1406). For example, as described above, the powerinterface of a first wireless communication mesh network radio (e.g.,wireless communication mesh network radio 1402) may be connected to thepre-existing satellite dish cable (e.g., coaxial cable 1406) and asecond wireless communication mesh network radio (e.g., wirelesscommunication mesh network radio 1403) may be daisy-chained to the firstwireless communication mesh network radio. As another example, powerinterface of a first wireless communication mesh network radio (e.g.,wireless communication mesh network radio 1402) may be connected to thepre-existing satellite dish cable (e.g., coaxial cable 1406) using acable splitter and/or switch (e.g., a first output of the cable splitterand/or switch), and a second wireless communication mesh network radio(e.g., wireless communication mesh network radio 1403) may also beconnected to the pre-existing satellite dish cable (e.g., coaxial cable1406) using the cable splitter and/or switch (e.g., a second output ofthe cable splitter and/or switch). In instances where an existingsatellite dish (e.g., satellite dish 1405) is not in use, then theexisting satellite dish can be left unplugged (e.g., coaxial cable 1406may be left disconnected from satellite dish 1405). In other instanceswhere an existing satellite dish (e.g., satellite dish 1405) is in use,then a switch (e.g., a Multimedia over Coax Alliance (“MoCA”) switch)may be used to interconnect and power both the wireless communicationmesh network radios and the existing satellite dish.

In practice, powering wireless communication mesh network radios using apre-existing satellite dish cable (e.g., coaxial cable 1406) may resultin a significant reduction in costs (e.g., operating expenses) for awireless communication mesh network operator.

On the other hand, if the wireless communication mesh network nodelocation does not include a pre-existing satellite dish cable, at block1504, the construction of the wireless communication mesh network nodemay involve a radio installation phase using a new cable. For instance,a new cable (e.g., a new coaxial cable or other power cable) may beconnected to a wireless communication mesh network radio (e.g., wirelesscommunication mesh network radio 1302) to power the wirelesscommunication mesh network radio.

At block 1505, the construction of the wireless communication meshnetwork node may involve a service activation phase to complete theconstruction. For instance, the service activation phase may involveconnecting the pre-existing satellite dish cable (e.g., coaxial cable1406) or a new cable to a power supply box (e.g., power supply box 1301or 1401). The service activation phase may also involve installing andconfiguring a customer's router for the wireless communication meshnetwork and activating a network service, such as a high-speed Internetservice.

It should be understood that the phases for constructing the wirelesscommunication mesh network node may take various other forms, and theconstruction of the wireless communication mesh network node may takevarious different forms as well. For instance, the construction mayinvolve more or less phases than the phases described above with respectto FIG.

Turning to FIG. 16 , another example flow diagram for constructing awireless communication mesh network node (e.g., type-A customer node1200 of FIG. 12 ) is shown. At block 1601, constructing the wirelesscommunication mesh network node may involve a site survey phase toconduct a site survey. As noted above, a site survey may be conducted tocheck line-of-sight connectivity or validate a certain minimum signalthreshold for line-of-sight connectivity.

At block 1602, constructing the wireless communication mesh network nodemay then involve a radio installation phase. For instance, as notedabove, wireless communication mesh network radios (e.g., wirelesscommunication mesh network radios 1202 and/or 1203) may be installed ona roof of a building using antenna mounts.

At block 1603, constructing the wireless communication mesh network nodemay also involve a power supply box installation phase. For instance, asdescribed above, a power supply box (e.g., power supply box 1201) may beattached to the outside exterior wall or inside exterior wall of abuilding (e.g., customer's home).

At block 1604, constructing the wireless communication mesh network nodemay then involve a cable installation phase. As noted above, the cableinstallation phase may involve running electric cables between wirelesscommunication mesh network radios (e.g., wireless communication meshnetwork radios 1202 and/or 1203) and the power supply box (e.g., powersupply box 1201) to power the radios and carry data.

At block 1605, constructing the wireless communication mesh network nodemay then involve an alignment and configuration phase. This phase mayinvolve fine antenna alignment to ensure a desired signal strength atthe wireless communication mesh network radios, and configuration ofthese wireless mesh network radios to establish bi-directionalcommunication links with other wireless communication mesh networkradios at neighboring wireless communication mesh network nodes.

In turn, at block 1606, constructing the wireless communication meshnetwork node may then involve a router installation phase. For instance,as noted above, the router installation phase may involve installing acustomer router (e.g., customer router 1208) and activating networkservices (e.g., high-speed Internet service).

It should be understood that the example phases described above may takevarious other forms as well.

In practice, a wireless communication mesh network node (e.g., type-Acustomer node 1200) may be dependent on neighboring wirelesscommunication mesh network nodes to carry its end user (e.g., customer)data from a customer's router (e.g., customer router 1208) to a datacenter of a wireless communication mesh network. In this respect,wireless communication mesh network nodes may not only carry their ownrespective end user's data but may also help transfer data from otherwireless mesh network nodes that belong to other end users of thewireless communication mesh network. Thus, it may not be possible tobuild wireless communication mesh network nodes in isolation and theirend-to-end provisioning and testing may depend on the provisioning,testing, and/or powering of wireless communication mesh network radiosfrom other wireless mesh network nodes (e.g., neighboring wirelesscommunication mesh network nodes).

Further, in practice, the electrical work required to provide power to agiven wireless communication mesh network node radio (e.g., blocks1603-1604) may involve a significant amount of installation time. Forinstance, when electrical work to provide power to a given wirelesscommunication mesh network node radio (e.g., wireless communication meshnetwork radio 1202) is required to be performed outside of a building,such electrical work may involve installation of a power supply box(e.g., power supply box 1201) and running electrical and data cables(e.g., cable 1204) from the power supply box to the roof of the buildingwhere the given wireless communication mesh network radio is installed.In instances where the electrical work to provide power to a givenwireless communication mesh network node radio is required to beperformed inside of a building, such electrical work may involveadditional steps that require scheduling and coordination with acustomer who owns or resides in the building.

Further yet, in practice, the successful completion of constructing awireless communication mesh network node may depend on the completion ofsuch electrical work required to provide power to a given wirelesscommunication mesh network node radio, which may in turn facilitateestablishing bi-directional communication links with other neighboringwireless communication mesh network nodes and collectively form awireless communication mesh network. However, in some instances, evenafter such electrical work is completed, a given wireless communicationmesh network radio may still not able to establish line-of-sightcommunications with a wireless communication mesh network radio from aneighboring wireless communication mesh network node or a building owneror customer may decide not to be part of the wireless communication meshnetwork. In such instances, while wireless communication mesh networkradios and antenna masts can be removed and can be reused to build adifferent wireless mesh network node, the electrical work completed toprovide power to a given wireless mesh network radio (e.g., cable and/orpower supply box installation) cannot be reused and may result in lossof capital expenditures for a wireless communication mesh networkoperator.

In some instances, such electrical work may be delayed due to variousreasons, such as a major renovation that may impact the power suppliedto a given wireless communication mesh network radio. As a result, thedelayed electrical work may also impact other neighboring wirelesscommunication mesh network nodes (such as those in the respectivedirections of links 1206 and 1207) and in turn, impact the rollout ofthe wireless communication mesh network.

To address one or more problems involving the construction of a wirelesscommunication mesh network node, a portable power supply may be used toefficiently provide power to a given wireless communication mesh networknode radio (e.g., wireless communication mesh network node radio 1202),which may be installed on the roof of a building (or some other theoutdoor location). The portable power supply may take various forms.

For example, the portable power supply may include a solar panel. Itshould be understood, however, that the portable power supply may takevarious other forms, such as a power supply that includes a backupbattery. In this respect, the portable power supply may be capable ofproviding power to one or more radios for multiple days, weeks, orperpetually provide power (e.g., using solar panels).

In one embodiment, the portable power supply may be included in aportable modular unit that can be easily installed on a building. Aportable modular unit may include antenna mounts, wireless communicationmesh network radios, a portable power supply, among other equipmentneeded to construct a wireless communication mesh network node. In thisrespect, a portable modular unit may take various forms.

To illustrate, FIG. 17 depicts an example portable modular unit 1700that can be installed at a wireless communication mesh network node(e.g., type-A customer node 1200). As shown, portable modular unit 1700may include wireless communication mesh network radios 1701 and 1702that may each take the form similar to wireless communication meshnetwork radios 1201 and/or 1202 described above.

Portable modular unit 1700 may also include antenna mount 1703 to mountwireless communication mesh network radios 1701 and 1702. Antenna mount1703 may take the form of a non-penetrating or a penetrating antennamount.

Further, portable modular unit 1700 may include portable power supply1704. In one embodiment, portable power supply 1704 may use solar panelsto provide electrical power to wireless communication mesh networkradios 1701 and 1702 via electric cables. In another embodiment,portable power supply 1704 and/or portable modular unit 1700 may use adifferent power source (e.g., a battery) to power wireless communicationmesh network radios 1701 and 1702.

Portable modular unit 1700 may take various other forms as well. Forinstance, portable modular unit 1700 may include other components notshown in FIG. 17 . Further, while only two wireless communication meshnetwork radios are shown, portable modular unit 1700 may include anynumber of wireless communication mesh network radios.

In practice, a portable modular unit (e.g., portable modular unit 1700)may initially provide power to wireless communication mesh networkradios (e.g., wireless communication mesh network radios 1701 and 1702),and enable a wireless mesh network installer to configure the wirelessmesh network radios and activate the wireless communication mesh networknode without requiring the installer to perform any electrical work(e.g., cable and/or power supply box installation at blocks 1603-1604 ofFIG. 16 ). Once a particular section of the wireless communication meshnetwork is completed (e.g., by powering multiple wireless communicationnetwork nodes in a particular area of a neighborhood), the wirelesscommunication mesh network installer may remove a portable power supplyfrom the portable modular unit at a given wireless communication networknode and replace it with an electrical cable run from a power supply boxto draw power from the main power line of a building. Other componentsof a portable modular unit (e.g., wireless communication mesh networkradios 1701 and 1702) may also be removed from the portable modular unitand installed using roof mounts. However, it should be understood that,in some embodiments, only the portable power supply (e.g., portablepower supply 1704) may be removed from the portable modular unit.

Turning to FIG. 18 , an example flow diagram for constructing a wirelesscommunication mesh network node (e.g., type-A customer node 1200 of FIG.12 ) is shown using a portable modular unit (e.g., portable modular unit1700). At block 1801, constructing the wireless communication meshnetwork node may involve a site survey phase similar to the site surveyphase described with respect to block 1601 of FIG. 16 .

At block 1802, constructing the wireless communication mesh network nodemay then involve a portable modular unit installation phase, which mayinvolve installing a portable modular unit, such as portable modularunit 1700 of FIG. 17 , on the roof of a building (or some other theoutdoor location).

At block 1803, constructing the wireless communication mesh network nodemay then involve an alignment and configuration phase similar to thealignment and configuration phase described above with respect to block1605 of FIG. 16 .

At block 1804, constructing the wireless communication mesh network nodemay involve a router installation phase similar to the routerinstallation phase described above with respect to block 1606. Forinstance, as noted above, the router installation phase may involveinstalling a customer router (e.g., customer router 1208) and activatingnetwork services (e.g., high-speed Internet service). The wirelesscommunication mesh network node may then be integrated as part of awireless communication mesh network.

At block 1805, other wireless communication mesh network nodes (e.g.,neighboring wireless communication mesh network nodes) may beconstructed, and such construction may involve similar phases describedabove with respect to blocks 1801-1804. After constructing multiplewireless communication mesh network nodes in a given area (e.g., a givenarea in a neighborhood) that makes up a portion of a wirelesscommunication mesh network, wireless communication mesh networkinstallers may revisit a given wireless communication mesh network nodelocation to complete the construction of the given wirelesscommunication mesh network node.

At block 1806, for instance, constructing the wireless communicationmesh network node may involve a power supply box installation phasesimilar to the power supply box installation phase described above withrespect to block 1603.

At block 1807, constructing the wireless communication mesh network nodemay then involve a cable installation phase similar to the cableinstallation phase described above with respect to block 1604.

In turn, at block 1808, constructing the wireless communication meshnetwork node may involve a phase to remove the portable module unit(e.g., portable module unit 1700) or a portable power supply (e.g.,portable module unit 1704) included as part of the portable module unit.The removed portable module unit and/or portable power supply may thenbe reused to construct new wireless communication mesh network nodes atother locations, which may involve the phases described above withrespect to blocks 1801-1808. In some instances, the removed portablemodule unit and/or portable power supply may be reused to power existingwireless communication mesh network nodes that may be experiencingunanticipated power outages.

It should be understood that the example phases described above may takevarious other forms as well.

Turning to FIG. 19 , an example wireless communication mesh network 1900is shown. As shown, wireless communication mesh network 1900 takes aform similar to wireless communication mesh network 1100 describedabove.

As further shown in FIG. 19 , wireless communication mesh network 1900includes a first area of a neighborhood (represented by “Ring 1”) thatcomprises a first cluster of wireless communication mesh network nodesrepresented by solid black squares, and a second area of theneighborhood (represented by “Ring 2”) that comprises a second clusterof wireless communication mesh network nodes represented by solid blacksquares.

In an example scenario, the installation of wireless communication meshnetwork nodes in Ring 2, which may involve configuration and access tothe core network via Fiber PoP 1901, may be dependent on theinstallation of wireless communication mesh network nodes in Ring 1. Inthis respect, installation of wireless communication mesh network nodesin Ring 2 may be impacted if electrical work for one or more of thewireless communication mesh network nodes in Ring 1 are delayed due tovarious reasons noted above.

Accordingly, wireless communication mesh network nodes in Ring 1 may beinitially constructed using a portable modular unit (e.g., portablemodular unit 1700) as described above with respect to blocks 1801-1804and wireless communication mesh network nodes in Ring 2 may be initiallyconstructed in a similar fashion. At a later time (e.g., a time when theimpact to wireless communication mesh network nodes in Ring 2 is low),the construction of communication mesh network nodes in Ring 1 may becompleted as described above with respect to blocks 1806-1808, which mayinvolve removing the portable module unit and/or a portable power supplyincluded as part of the portable module unit. The removed portablemodule unit and/or a portable power supply may then be reused toconstruct new wireless communication mesh network nodes in a similarfashion described above with respect to FIG. 18 .

The disclosed approach to constructing wireless communication meshnetwork nodes thus provides flexibility in scheduling various differentconstruction phases while minimally impacting the construction of otherwireless communication mesh network nodes and rolling out a wirelesscommunication mesh network.

Example embodiments of the disclosed innovations have been describedabove. Those skilled in the art will understand, however, that changesand modifications may be made to the embodiments described withoutdeparting from the true scope and spirit of the present invention, whichwill be defined by claims.

Further, to the extent that examples described herein involve operationsperformed or initiated by actors, such as humans, operators, users orother entities, this is for purposes of example and explanation only.Claims should not be construed as requiring action by such actors unlessexplicitly recited in claim language.

1. A wireless communication node of a wireless communication meshnetwork located at a building, the wireless communication nodecomprising: one or more antenna mounts; one or more wirelesscommunication radios mounted on the one or more antenna mounts; and aportable power supply coupled to each of the one or more wirelesscommunication radios via a respective cable, wherein the portable powersupply is configured to provide power to each of the one or morewireless communication radios.
 2. The wireless communication node ofclaim 1, wherein the portable power supply comprises a solar panel thatis configured to provide power to each of the one or more wirelesscommunication radios.
 3. The wireless communication node of claim 1,wherein the portable power supply comprises a battery that is configuredto provide power to each of the one or more wireless communicationradios.
 4. The wireless communication node of claim 1, wherein thewireless communication node located at the building comprises a firstwireless communication node located at a first building, and wherein theportable power supply is configured to be removed from the firstwireless communication node located at the first building and installedat a second wireless communication node located at a second building. 5.The wireless communication node of claim 1, wherein the portable powersupply is replaceable with a power supply box that is configured toprovide power to each of the one or more wireless communication radios.6. The wireless communication node of claim 1, wherein the wirelesscommunication node located at the building comprises a first wirelesscommunication node located at a first building, the first wirelesscommunication node further comprising: a portable modular unit thatincludes the one or more antenna mounts, the one or more wirelesscommunication radios, and the portable power supply, wherein theportable modular unit is configured to be removed from the firstwireless communication node located at the first building and installedat a second wireless communication node that is to be located at asecond building.
 7. The wireless communication node of claim 1, whereinthe wireless communication node is coupled to at least one otherwireless communication node in a set of wireless communication nodes viaa respective wireless communication link, and wherein the least oneother wireless communication node in the set of wireless communicationnodes is configured to operate as part of the wireless communicationmesh network.
 8. The wireless communication node of claim 7, wherein therespective wireless communication link comprises a point-to-pointcommunication link or a point-to-multipoint communication link.
 9. Thewireless communication node of claim 1, wherein the wirelesscommunication node comprises a first wireless communication node, andwherein each of the one or more wireless communication radios isconfigured establish a line-of-sight communication link with anotherwireless communication radio installed at a second wirelesscommunication node that is configured to operate as part of the wirelesscommunication mesh network.
 10. The wireless communication node of claim1, wherein the wireless communication node of the wireless communicationmesh network operates in a millimeter wave spectrum.